Personal Injury Law

Violent Greyhound Collision Kills Six, Wounds 20

By Michael

Tragedy struck Greyhound, the nation’s largest intercity bus carrier, during a fatal crash in California last week.

Six people were killed and 20 others were wounded in the culimnation of a series of even deadly events, according to the California Highway Patrol.

The ill-fated Greyhound bus was traveling from Los Angeles to Sacramento, and carrying 36 passengers, according to a report in the LA Times.

At around 2:00 in the morning, a Chevrolet Trailblazer traveling north on California Highway 99 in Fresno made an abrupt left turn from the right hand lane. This maneuver led the car straight into the median rail, causing the SUV to roll over and block the left-hand lane. Tragically, all three women in the Trailblazer were killed.

Shortly after the SUV rolled over, the Greyhound approached in the left-hand lane of Highway 99. Reports indicate that the overturned Trailblazer probably didn?t have its lights on, so the Greyhound driver did not see the obstacle until it was too late.

After striking the overturned car, the Greyhound bus careened off the highway and fell down a 15-foot embankment, eventually coming to rest after hitting a eucalyptus tree. In the aftermath of the crash, photos revealed eucalyptus limbs sticking out of large holes in the shattered bus.

The impact of the crash destroyed the front end of the bus, which killed the bus driver, James Jewett, who had driven for 32 years for Greyhound without a single incident. Two other bus passengers died.

According to the Sacramento Bee, Greyhound released a statement after the crash praising Jewett as ?an excellent driver with a clean driving record.? Greyhound also described the former driver as a ?very well-respected member of the Greyhound family.?

In addition to the death of Jewett and the three women who were in the overturned Trailblazer, another man and woman who were passengers in the bus were killed. Both were over the age of 60.

While bus travel is becoming increasingly popular, especially as the cost of a plane ticket rises, bus accidents are surprisingly common occurrences. Reports indicate that the Sacramento area alone has seen four fatal bus accidents in the last ten years. Across the country, thousands of people are injured in bus accidents every year.

If you have been injured in a bus accident, an experienced personal injury attorney may be able to help you seek a remedy for your injury.

Full post as published by The Injury Blog on July 26, 2010 (boomark / email).